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What Are Your Favorite Radio Stations You've Discovered While Traveling?

Music + Nightlife Entertainment
by Matt Hershberger Dec 9, 2014

HAVE YOU EVER stumbled across an amazing radio station while traveling? One that stuck with you long after you left, to the point where you found it online when you got home and stream it still? We have. Radio is everywhere — much of the developing world still lacks TV and internet, but it makes up for it in radio — and there are some amazing radio stations out there.

And in the age of the internet, most of these radio stations can be found streaming online no matter where you are in the world. So we asked our friends and followers on social media: “What’s the coolest radio station you’ve discovered while traveling?”

Here are some of their answers (as well as links to the radio stations themselves):

International Poznan — Poland

Instagrammer keikoroy suggests MC Radio 102.7 in Poland:

“International Poznan is a radio show that interviews expats, travelers, or foreigners from ALL over. It’s a wonderful show with the greatest host in Poznan, Poland.”

Triple J — Australia

Tons of travelers named Australia’s famed Triple J as the favorite radio station they’d discovered while traveling.

“I love how it’s the most popular station in Aus and they don’t play any Top 40 B.S. Respect.”
— Redditor RecycledBread

Cat Country 107.3 — New Jersey

Linda Gorman suggests Atlantic City’s country station Cat Country 107.3. Her only comment?

“Yeeeeee Haaaaaaw!”

Radio 3 — Spain

Alex Bramwell on Facebook suggests the alternative Radio 3 Spain.

From the sublime to the ridiculous and back, with commentary from John Peel wannabees. Classic quote from the other day: “There’s jazz, then there’s jazz, and this is jazz.”

KTUH — Hawaii

Matador’s own David Miller discovered the University of Hawaii-Manoa’s non-commercial alternative radio station KTUH on his first trip to Hawaii.

“Incredible aloha just flowing from this station. Set the tone when I tuned in as I drove for the first time from Honolulu to the North Shore.”

KLBJ 93.7 — Texas

On Instagram, katnipp_ontheroadagain suggests Austin’s KLBJ 93.7, a rock station. “Not far from home for me, but our all-time favorite station.”

RTL 102.5 — Italy

Melissa Conway votes for RTL 102.5, a contemporary hits station in Italy. The “random tagline of “Very Normal People” always makes us laugh!”

Midlands 103 — Tullamore, Ireland

Matador staff writer Morgane Croissant tells of when she lived in Tullamore, Ireland, how during her Sunday breakfast, a mournful voice on Midlands 103 would read off the names of the recently deceased:

“”The obituaries” were played on Midlands 103 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland. They were read out daily at 10am, 2pm, and 6pm by an old woman called Nelly. At the end of the names, she would always say in Irish, “Ar a dheis siad go raibh siad” [May they be on the right side of God]. The whole purpose was to give listeners information on when the body was reposing at the home, or when the funeral would happen for example. Most of the time the people whose names were announced would have died a day or two before.”

99.9 KMOO — Texas

Instagrammer carlamowell votes 99.9 KMOO in Texas. It “felt like a time warp to drive through that sound cloud in the ETX Piney Woods.”

93.1 Da Pa’ina — Hawaii

Instagrammer rachelwatroba suggests Hawaii’s reggae station Da Pa’ina.

“Fun blend of tropical Hawaiian reggae — gets you stoked to travel, head to the beach, even to be in a better mood.”

Radio Soundportal — Austria

On Twitter, Alaina O’Brien suggests alt-rock station Radio Soundportal in Austria. “I stream it in the US, even,” she says. (This is the one that this writer has kept coming back to while putting this piece together.)

Teguzstereo Pink Floyd — Honduras

Yep, it’s a station dedicated to Pink Floyd. In Honduras. As suggested by Instagrammer yasir.iqbal_. Teguzstereo has an entire network which is pretty solid as well.

As Angela Ostifichuk told us on Twitter, there are “Too many [radio stations] to count. Music is what makes us live, and in the developing world, there is no iPod still. #radio is king.” Let us know your favorite radio discoveries in the comments.

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